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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · patient · craft · wound · branch · rush · rash · press

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rush — hurry
  15. press — to push
  16. craft — boats
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com